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Larry Lucchino

09/01/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

With what he calls this “grand opportunity to have another chance to
reconstruct the roster and the payroll” because of last Saturday’s
blockbuster trade, team president and CEO Larry Lucchino said Thursday the Red Sox can and should be trusted to do the right thing this time around.

“I think there have been some philosophical shifts, some
philosophical re-examinations, absolutely, involving one, the obvious
one, that is the utility and effectiveness of massive free agent
signings,” said Lucchino.

“It was a philosophical shift because we’re sentient people and we’ve
seen what’s happened and what hasn’t happened, not just in our
circumstances but across the industry in recent years,” said Lucchino.

“We’re not going to be talking prospectively about where our payroll
is going to be,” said Lucchino. “We have a great opportunity to spend
money that was previously tied up in long-term contracts. We have an
opportunity to spend that more creatively and judiciously.”

Trading for talent will be the preferred method of talent acquisition.

“Absolutely, but we’re not going to rule out anything, especially and
including free agency, but I think you’re likely to see less reliance
on it and therefore we’re going to have to pursue all other avenues,
including major league trades, minor league prospects, waivers, Rule 5
draft — we have to use all the devices that are out there for us,” he
said.

We're just going to pretend that last night's drubbing never happened, and focus on the future. Because, unless you love being miserable and depressed, that's all that matters now.

Lucchino says a lot of stuff in this interview, but there's not a ton of substance. The best analogy I can come up with off the top of my head is that this feels like the "don't leave me" speech you give to your girlfriend after she caught you cheating on her. "I'm so sorry, baby. I know I made a mistake. I'm going to change. It'll be different this time. I swear!"

And when that message comes from a snake oil salesman like Lucchino, it rings hollow.

If you read the full article, he talks about how there are "different people at the table" this time, discussing these decisions. Which is true... but the final orders have always come from the top down. You can bring in a delegate from every member of the U.N. to sit around that table, but the decisions are going to be made my the same people that have made the decisions that got us into this mess. Now, if he had said that they're going to back off a bit and put their trust in Cherington, then I would be a little more optimistic. But that was never said.

The bottom line is that these guys like having their name in the headlines. They like big free agent splashes, and seeing SportsCenter lead off with the latest Red Sox news. They may be able to reign it in this winter (maybe), but how many seasons can we expect that to last?

Lucchino talked about how the Sox didn't just learn from their own mistakes, but from looking "across the industry". I look across the sports landscape myself, and generally, franchises that are run by overbearing men that force their hand in roster building don't succeed. Organizations that put smart men in control and give them the freedom to construct their teams usually fair better.

08/23/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Word from Yawkey Way is that the Sox front office hired buses to bring players, office and staff to the funeral from the ballpark to the church. The suits, we hear, were surprised and disappointed when the vast majority of the 40 players on the roster didn’t bother to show up for the services.

“We ordered the buses for the front office to go, knowing that any players could join us or drive separately from their homes,” Sox spokesman Charles Steinberg told the Track. “Between the ownership, front office, current players and staff, and former players, we were well represented by the people who knew Johnny best.”

The only players the Herald observed at the funeral at St. John The Evangelist Church in Swampscott were designated hitter David Ortiz [stats], pitchers Clay Buchholz and Vincente Padilla and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

By contrast, that same night, nearly the entire team turned out for pitcher Josh Beckett’s annual Beckett Bowl and country music show at Lucky Strike Lanes and the House of Blues.

So let me get this straight... the front office is mad about the players not attending a funeral instead of their under-performance on the field, their hatred for their manager, a triumvirate that's supposed to be the top of the rotation but is only good for 12 wins and a 30 rack of Bud Light each night, your seemingly incredibly incompetent medical staff that you've given unprecedented power in decision making. But no showing a funeral is what gets under your skin. No this is what has them upset.

Did they make it a mandatory event to attend? Nope. Why not?! You pay them, you can do this! The ownership went all the way by setting up all of the transportation, they could have made this mandatory if it mattered that much to you. But you left it up to the players, who traveled from New York to Boston and didn't get in until a few hours before the funeral started, to show up or not. Four did and probably the only member of the Sox who had a relationship with Pesky, David Ortiz, made it to the funeral.

But a majority of these guys have only been around for a couple of years. It's not like the days when Pesky would hang in the dugout with the players. Yes it's a little disappointing to not hear players like Jon Lester or Dustin Pedroia not attend but people grieve differently. This isn't going to turn into a debate about how people deal with death. Funerals aren't the greatest thing in the world to attend.

But see here's why it's really ticking off the front office: the brand is at risk of taking another hit. The super PR conscious front office knows that this will damage the brand even more. Never mind that this team has been an embarrassment for the past year. If everyone wants to roast the players for not having their priorities right by not attending the funeral, let this be the reminder that the front office is more worried about the brand instead of the team.

08/17/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

For most of the past decade, the Red Sox [team stats] have been regarded by a vast majority of players as a desirable team for which to work.

And now?

“I don’t know,” ace lefty Jon Lester [stats] told the Herald yesterday. “It’s always been a demanding place to play, but until the last two years, it always was about baseball. Now we’ve got things written and said about guys’ personal stuff as human beings, as people. Now you’re starting to question people’s manhoods. That’s where it gets hard.”

But Lucchino is unconcerned that the Red Sox’ year-long soap opera will dissuade potential free agents from wanting to play for the team — even though David Ortiz [stats], the club’s longest-tenured player, has said he’s tired of the ceaseless drama.

“I don’t think that’s a long-term danger,” Lucchino said. “I do think there’s probably a little bit of a reservation on the part of some players, perhaps with respect to the grueling media coverage. You’ve just got to make sure you pick the right people and personalities to come here to be able to withstand that.”

So much to say about this. First off, this was a concern after last September's hit piece. Back then we asked, 'Who in their right mind would want to come work for Henry and Lucchino after the attempted character assassination of Francona'? The owners have not done a single thing to change the answer to that question. While this Yahoo! article isn't pretty, it is NOTHING like that Globe piece after last season. That was truly ugly.

Secondarily, Lucchino is right. You need to pick the right people to play and work for the Red Sox organization. That's something that these guys do understand. That's why they creepily stalked Carl Crawford since birth. There's a lot of pressure on these players from the fans, media and organization. Too much pressure, and unwarranted pressure in some instances, but that pressure isn't going away. If the guy doesn't have the mental makeup to handle it, let him play elsewhere.

Lastly, pardon me if I get a little giddy with the thought that the Red Sox are going to have trouble shelling out $150 million contracts. They may be forced to do something unorthodox like develop their own players again! Oh, the humanity! I kid about it, but we've been calling for the Sox to wind down the spending spree for a while now.

But, honestly, none of this matters that much. The Sox are able to offer players insane amounts of money. Moreso than most other teams. Players chase the dollars, regardless of who is signing the check, or which cap they have to wear. That's not always the case, but it's the case often enough that we don't have to worry about the Sox getting frozen out of the free agency market.

Of course, if Ortiz doesn't re-sign, that could all change. Ortiz saying he's sick of the drama, and backing that up by packing his bags? That could be disastrous. The Sox need to re-sign him, whether they want to or not, to put up a happy facade.

08/14/2012

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! has a juicy, gossip-filled article about the unrest on Yawkey Way. It culminates around a meeting that took place in July at the behest of a group of Red Sox players, including Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia, at which they expressed displeasure with many of Bobby Valentine's tactics.

Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia were among the most vocal in the meeting, in which some players stated flatly they no longer wanted to play for Valentine, the sources said. The tenor of the 2 p.m. meeting at The Palace hotel in New York turned ugly almost immediately, according to the sources, whom Yahoo! Sports granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about internal matters.

Not all of the Red Sox players attended the meeting, the sources said, highlighting the chasm that exists not only between some players and Valentine but among players in the clubhouse. The perception that Valentine is being scapegoated unfairly to divert attention from mediocre performances by star players exists among some players, according to sources.

Apparently their main issue was Valentine leaving Lester in to get tagged for 11 runs in his previous start. But the issues weren't limited to that.

The article goes over much of what we already know (or have assumed) about the situation in Boston. But the big takeaways are this:

The players are babies and looking for someone to blame

Bobby Valentine is not the answer, anyway

Ben Cherington had nothing to do with his hire

The local media is still bought by the Sox organization, as a national guy scooped this meeting

and most importantly...everybody needs to get on the same page, pronto. It's not anyone's fault in particular, it's that they all have different agendas. Passan refers to Valentine's "divide and conquer" management style, which is why the clubhouse is such a mess among both players and coaches. But the same could be said of Larry Lucchino. Lucchino has been a tremendous executive from a business perspective. The Red Sox are wildly successful financially, and have for the most part been extremely successful on the field under his watch (yes, the last calendar year has been a disappointment, but two World Series in a decade ain't bad). But he needs to let Cherington do his job and hire a staff that he can work with, or he needs to fire Cherington and find somebody who's on the same page with Valentine. I trust Cherington, so I say eliminate Valentine and the rest of the coaches, but that's just me. Whatever the case, put a program in order immediately.

Anyway, go read the whole article, it has all kinds of good stuff. Drive-time radio should be fun this afternoon.

Former Boston Red Sox manager and current ESPN analyst Terry Francona has changed his mind and says he will be attending the Red Sox's 100th anniversary celebration of Fenway Park on Friday afternoon.

Francona had originally said he would not attend because of the way things ended between himself and the Red Sox after the collapse of 2011.

Francona told ESPN on Wednesday that he believes he owes it to the fans to show up.

I'm very shocked by this, to be honest.

First, and foremost, since his firing Tito has given no indication of wavering on his stance to avoid the ceremony. Each time he was asked, he quickly replied with a "not going." In his interview with Shaughnessy he stated that the Sox would be better off if he didn't attend, and that he wasn't comfortable putting on a fake smile and shaking hands with his enemies. There was no gray area.

Beyond that, his appearance will completely overshadow everything else going on that day. It's a shame, and it shouldn't be, but that's the reality in our gossip-fueled society. Tito's attendance, and, more importantly, his interactions with Lucchino and Henry, are going to be the focus. Not Fenway's history. Terry obviously knows this, and I'm shocked he'd subject himself to it.

The conspiracy theorist and ESPN-hater inside of me wonders if ESPN isn't forcing him to go for this fact alone.

Knowing Tito as I do (and boy, do we go way back) I believe him when he says he owes it to the fans to be there. As I stated last weekend, nearly all of the good, recent memories revolving around Fenway and the Red Sox are directly tied to Francona. Sox fans never got a chance to thank him for all he did. This is their chance, on such a grand scale, to give him the standing ovation he certainly deserves from the Sox faithful.

And with bumbling Bobby Valentine running amock, a chance for the fans to let Henry and Lucchino know that the grass isn't always greener under the feet of a guy that can't manage a pitching staff.

04/13/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

“Larry called me yesterday,’’ Francona said Tuesday. “I was in a phone store in Arizona. I had three people standing around me. I was at a little bit of a disadvantage. He got a little perturbed at me, telling me I was being unfair to them. I called him back last night and left him a message. He called me back and we ended up getting into an argument. I just feel like someone in the organization went out of their way to hurt me and the more we talked I realized we’re just not on the same wavelength. They’re probably better off going forth and leaving me out of it.’’

“It was pretty raw at the end of the year. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of moving on from that. At the same time, I’m never going to forget that. For me to go back and start waving and hugging, I’m just not comfortable doing that. I made it pretty clear to John Henry."

[...]

"There is no way you can be around people for eight years and not have loyalties that will never end. I want Pedroia to hit 1,000. I want Jon Lester to win every game he ever pitches. That’s kind of the shame of it. But I’m also not comfortable coming back. That’s the shame of it. It’s not a vendetta. I just don’t feel comfortable coming back because of what happened and that’s a shame because I do feel awfully strong ties to so many people there.’’

If you were holding out hope that Terry Francona was going to bury the hatchet with the Sox, you can probably stop now.

Two things were made clear in that article: First, Francona is still deeply hurt by the Globe's hit piece and the treatment he received from the Sox during his dismissal. To skip Fenway's 100th anniversary simply to avoid having to shake hands with Henry and Lucchino and put on a fake smile for the cameras is a pretty big statement. Second, Terry has no interest in trying to paint Henry and Lucchino in any type of positive light. He's being blunt and completely honest about this entire situation. Anytime he's asked about how he's feeling, or what's going on, he's firing from the hip.

If you look close enough, you can actually see the steam coming off the top of Lucchino's head each time Francona talks about last September.

And how about Lucchino? Is it me, or is that man becoming a caricature of himself at this point? Telling Francona that he's being unfair to the Sox? Are you kidding me? I wouldn't be surprised, nor disappointed, if Francona actually punches him in the face the next time he broadcasts a game in Boston.

At the end of all of this, you just have to feel for Francona. He lost his job. He got destroyed in the hit piece. He won't be able to attend the Sox gigantic celebration, despite being responsible for most of the recent positive history. The last 7-8 months of his life have to have been absolute hell.

And until the Sox get this 100th anniversary celebration over with, and people stop pestering him about attending, it'll still hang over him.

04/07/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Red Sox team president Larry Lucchino was on MLB Network Radio today with Jim Duquette and was asked about the idea of expanding the payroll to improve the pitching staff.

"We will end up being above the threshold this year. I don’t think there’s any question about that. We’ve been above the threshold the last couple of years," Lucchino said.

"Our goal is to field a team with more homegrown players, fewer free agents and to have a more manageable payroll down the road. But if you’re asking about this year, we understand that each year has to be taken on its own and this year our payroll is going to be, I’d hate to make a guess, but it’ll be well over the $178 million dollar threshold."

But the main goal would be the return of some revenue sharing money. Earlier this spring, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said his goal was to be below $189 million in 2014. Lucchino expressed much the same sentiment today.

"It’s important to us to get under the threshold when we can, depending on when the circumstances will allow us to do so," he said.

Not very many people like Lucchino, for all the right reasons. To be blunt: he's a scumbag. So when he comes out and starts talking about payroll thresholds and slashing salaries, the initial reaction is to be outraged, because Larry clearly cares more about $$$ than W's.

But Lucchino is the CEO of the Red Sox. And the Red Sox are a business. Larry's main goal is to cut expenses and increase revenue. That is the sole function of his job. And, frankly, this has been the company line all offseason. This isn't exactly "news".

And, at its core principle, I'm onboard. We've been trying to buy World Series trophies for a while now through free agency, with many more failures than successes. Giving a John Lackey $80 million to be somewhere on the spectrum between awful-to-mediocre is a great way to hamstring your entire team. You can catch lightning in a bottle through handing out huge contracts, but if we've learned anything from the 2011 season, it's that bank accounts and pure talent don't necessarily translate onto the field.

More often, like in 2004, it's chemistry and camaraderie that get you to the top. And when you have a core group of guys that have come up through your system together, that chemistry is built in. So if our plan is to build around homegrown players instead of mercenaries, I think that's a smart move.

The trouble with that, of course, is that you won't be fielding a team of All-Stars at every position. There will be multiple seasons where the Sox are not World Series contenders, as the team develops and prospects flare out. Young players trying to make their way in the league will suddenly have the pressure and expectations of the Boston media and fans thrust upon them. You can do this in Tampa, where no one pays attention to your team. But in Boston, we pull the panic alarm after losing Opening Day 3-2 against the reigning league MVP and Cy Young winner.

Of course, there's a balance you can strike where you develop some young players while signing the right free agents. But the Sox are always one or two pieces away from contending, and if we pass on Free Agent A to develop Player B, and Player B doesn't deliver, there will be hell to pay. It's truly a lose-lose situation for the Red Sox brass.

03/19/2012

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

After an offseason of upheaval, in which the Red Sox were forced to go out and hire a new manager and a new general manager, they at least have the knowledge there will be continuity at the top for the forseeable future.

President and CEO Larry Lucchino is close to agreement on a contract extension that will keep him around at the head of the Red Sox organization for several years to come.

The Boston Globe was the first to report the story.

Lucchino, who recently observed his 10th anniversary with the club, will likely have a bigger role in baseball operations, at least for the near future, since Ben Cherington is a first-year executive. That means Lucchino's presence and power may be expanded somewhat as Cherington grows into the job and Lucchino does some supervising.

This picture is exactly how I think Larry conducts all his work in his office. It's like Rip Hamilton and his face mask, sure he doesn't need to wear it but he plays better when he wears it. If John Henry is Dr. Evil then Larry is No. 2, with one hell of a mustache as well!

Lucchino re-signing isn't surprising at all. He just won the power struggle over Theo and watched him go to to the Cubs and he just got his BFF ideal manager in Bobby V. To top it all off, John Henry has given him the keys while Henry has Liverpool to worry about. Lucchino has control of the Red Sox, why even think about leaving?

We all piss and moan about the ridiculous ticket and concession prices and their ability to nickel and dime everything they can (like bricks!) but at least this team was always in the hunt to win a title every season for the past decade. That's deserving of an extension.

01/18/2012

Something that should have decided within a few days months ago is finally ending up on the commissioner's desk. Both the Red Sox and Cubs have asked Bud Selig to decide what the Sox should receive for Epstein's jump to Chicago.

At issue is what constitutes the “valuable compensation” the Red Sox say they were promised, according to a source familiar with the team’s correspondence with the league.

It’s unclear how long Selig will take. Also unclear is whether the solution will involve ordering a specific player or players to the Red Sox or setting parameters. There appears to be no precedent for it.

Instead of having the commissioner decide this behind closed doors, I think the Cubs and Sox should have to battle this out on TV, Judge Judy style. Lucchino fits the role of scumbag-lawyer perfectly. I'm sure the Cubs have someone equally sleazy they can roll out there. I see no downside in this. It may not rival "The Decision", but don't tell me you wouldn't tune in for that.

While common sense tells us that the Red Sox were morons for letting Epstein sign with Chicago before agreeing on the compensation, according to the Sun-Times, the fact that the process was "backwards" weighs heavily in the Sox' favor. Doesn't make sense to me, but I'll take it. Even more intriguing is the thought that the Sox are still holding out for Matt Garza. I seriously doubt the Sox get anything beyond a few mid-level prospects at this point, but it would be quite the coup and jolt to the pitching staff if they could get Garza.

11/30/2011

If you thought that after the Sox cleaned house, got a new GM and finally (FINALLY!) hired a new manager, that everyone would be optimistic and ready to start 2012 with a clean slate, you are very very wrong.

ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that some Sox players aren't too keen on their new manager. Let's dive right in:

As Valentine emerged as a managerial candidate, some Red Sox players have been upset; they've been grumbling to each other, through texts and phone calls.. And the fact is they had no power to do anything about it, because the September collapse completely undercut the credibility of the Red Sox players. If one of them had called the front office to register concerns about Valentine, they might've heard laughter on the other end of the line. The Boston players had complete control of the clubhouse in 2011, and we know what happened.

First off, boo-hoo-hoo for those Sox players that aren't happy with the hiring. They had the ideal manager, and they didn't just take advantage of him, they steam rolled him. Whether it was due to a few bad eggs, millionaire egos or any other reason, the team clearly couldn't thrive under that form of leadership. They left the Sox no choice but to get someone with a different style.

The fact that they're getting pissy over his hiring actually has me a bit giddy. It's like when you got assigned to the "mean" math teacher in high school. The one that asked you questions when you weren't paying attention, gave you detention if you didn't do your homework and just generally made your life hell for two semesters. School wasn't nearly as fun with that teacher, but you probably learned more algebraic equations than you would have otherwise.

There's a very good chance that this could blow up in the Sox faces, if players start acting out, and both the players and Bobby take their gripes public. That's the underlying timebomb with Bobby Valentine. Also, how sad is it that we have to treat this Sox team as if they're a group of unruly 13 year olds? They have no one to blame but themselves.

It's not all negative, though. Buster also has some encouraging words to the disgruntled Sox: